The car has been in development for the past nine years, during which time a total of three different concepts have been revealed. Output will come from a 4.8-liter 72-degree V-10 engine and peaks at 552-horsepower at a lofty 8,700 rpm and 354-pound-feet of torque at 6,800 rpm. Best of all, the car’s sonorous V-10 will happily spin all the way to a 9,000 rpm redline.

To achieve this level of performance, engineers have beefed up the engine with titanium valves and connecting rods, forged aluminum pistons, a dry sump lubrication system and a titanium exhaust manifold. Each car is to be hand-built at a dedicated "LF-A Works" facility in Japan.

Intensive weight-saving techniques have also been employed, including the use of lightweight carbon-fiber for 65% of the car’s body.

Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox and a Torsen limited slip differential. Performance should be scintillating, expect 0 to 60 mph times of around 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 201.94 mph.

The end result is an almost perfect 48/52 front-to-rear weight distribution and a final kerb weight of 3,263 pounds, equivalent to a power-to-weight ratio of 5.8 pounds/horsepower.

Limited production is the name of the game, with only 500 units planned unless demand proves high enough to support more, though it carries a manufacturer's recommended price of about $375,000. Worse still, only 350 of them will be made in left-hand-drive for worldwide consumption. Though this may seem low, remember that a roadster and hybrid variant are also in the works. Production will start in December of 2010, with delivery taking place over the next two years.